Though the Padres came up one game short of qualifying for the playoffs on the heels of two consecutive division titles, the organization enjoyed perhaps its most productive season, all things considered, in the last three.

Under first-year manager Bud Black, San Diego won 89 games, its most since the 1998 pennant winners won 98, but ran out of steam in September, when Chris Young went 0-3, 6.27 while battling a sore back and Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron were lost to injury with a week left in the season. The Padres still controlled their playoff destiny with three games to play, but lost all three, the last one a one-game wild-card playoff at Colorado.

Jake Peavy remained the ace of the pitching staff, winning his first Cy Young Award as well as the National League pitching triple crown. And in another constant, general manager Kevin Towers’ shrewd trading acumen made a big impact.

One year after scoring big with trades for Adrian Gonzalez, Young and Cameron, Towers acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff from the Indians in exchange for Josh Barfield, who ultimately lost his job to rookie Asdrubal Cabrera. Kouzmanoff hit 18 homers as a rookie. Towers also added bullpen depth by shipping Ben Johnson to the Mets as part of a trade for Heath Bell, who led all major league relievers in innings (94) and strikeouts (102).

In late June, Towers picked up Bradley for the low cost of Triple-A righthander Andrew Brown, and Bradley jump-started the offense while healthy. He also made in-season trades for Michael Barrett and Scott Hairston, which paid modest dividends and cost San Diego little in terms of established talent.

On the minor league side, Double-A San Antonio and high Class A Lake Elsinore made deep playoff runs with teams stocked with prospects from the 2005 and 2006 drafts, the Padres’ first two under vice president of scouting and farm director Grady Fuson. Of the eight drafted players on this Top 10 list, only first baseman Kyle Blanks (No. 10) was selected before Fuson arrived. San Antonio, BA’s Minor League Team of the Year, won the Texas League title, led by the system’s two best prospects, third baseman Chase Headley and second baseman Matt Antonelli.

Taking advantage of baseball’s modified compensation system where Type B free agents no longer cost signing clubs a draft pick, Towers wasn’t shy about offering arbitration and reaped seven extra picks for the loss of five players. With eight of the top 87 picks in the 2007 draft, the Padres primarily selected established college talent, like lefthanders Nick Schmidt and Cory Luebke, outfielder Kellen Kulbacki and catcher Mitch Canham.

San Diego also scored by landing the top player from baseball’s final class of draft-and-follows. After signing for $1.25 million, righthander Matt Latos ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the short-season Northwest League. When bullpen stalwart Scott Linebrink started to slip, Towers shrewdly traded him to the Brewers for lefty Steve Garrison and righty Will Inman, both of whom cracked this Top 10 list, and lefty Joe Thatcher, who had a 1.29 ERA in 22 big league games. The Padres also were active in Latin America, handing out six-figure bonuses to a pair of Dominicans, shortstop Jonathan Spraut ($750,000) and outfielder Rymer Liriano ($300,000).